Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with US Defence Secretary James Mattis (L) before their meeting in Jerusalem, 21 April 2017. The retired US Marine general will also hold a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Mattis, who was welcomed at the Israeli Ministry of Defence earlier the same day, is on a week long trip to the Middle East which is also his first trip to Israel as the United States’ Secretary of Defense.